1. Field of the Inventive Concepts
The presently claimed and disclosed inventive concepts relate generally to methods for inhibiting deterioration of concrete structures and, more particularly, but not by way of limitation, to systems and methods for inhibiting corrosion of internal structural members of reinforced concrete structures.
2. Brief Description of Related Art
The cost for repair of highway infrastructure is very high and the problem is of greatest magnitude on bridge decks which are subject to frequent applications of deicing salt. Deterioration of reinforced concrete structures, such as bridge decks, parking garages and concrete paved roadways, occurs in large part because of corrosion of the reinforcing steel members of the structure as a result of salt migration into the structure. Penetration of water into cracks, followed by freeze-thaw cycles further degrades concrete and masonry structures and reduces the service life of the structures.
Water repellency has been provided by treating concrete and masonry surfaces to render them repellant to liquid water. Many different compositions and methods have been proposed, including impregnating the surface of materials containing free hydroxyl groups, i.e., cement and lime, with organo-silicon compounds having a hydrophobic effect in order to make the surface of the material water repellent and thus more resistant to the action of the weather. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,342,796 discloses methods for retarding the corrosion of reinforcing steel in structural concrete by applying organo-silicon compounds. However, the degree of penetration of water-repellent chemicals into such structures is limited. Since the surfaces of roads and bridges are subjected to wear, this wear can remove any chemical treatment which has not achieved sufficient penetration.
Despite the significant research done in this area, there remains a need for improvements in the economical surface treatment of reinforced concrete and masonry structures, such as bridge decks and concrete paved roadways, which will prevent the premature deterioration of the concrete and masonry and extend the service life of the structures.